


Growing Up

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s02e03 The Midterms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-04-06
Updated: 2004-04-06
Packaged: 2019-05-15 20:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14797445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: One day he'll grow up, and then it'll be too late.





	Growing Up

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Growing Up**

**by:** Hilde

**Character(s):** Sam  
**Rating:** YTEEN  
**Disclaimer:** So not mine, so not fair.  
**Summary:** One day he’ll grow up, and then it’ll be too late.  
**Spoiler:** _The Midterms_  
**Author's Note:** A small thing that came to me after watching " _The Midterms_ " again. My very first attempt at a WW fic, so any and all feedback are much appreciated. But do me a favour and read it twice before you make up your mind. :) Thanks to the sweet people who beta read for me, but actually haven’t seen this (so far) final version. 

Why did it always happen to him? Why did they do it to him, why did they have to screw him over so badly every time? Didn’t they realise what was happening? Didn’t they realise that eventually he would stop trusting them? Stop trusting himself? They’d ask him to do what he thought was right, and after he did, they’d ask him to contradict himself, to say that it was impossible after all; "sorry, but that’s life for you". 

Like with Tom Jordon. Tom was his friend. Used to be his friend. Until they made him lie, made him promise Tom every possible support, and then stab him in the back. He was his friend, for God’s sake! Friends didn’t do that to each other. Except in politics.

It was his own fault, really. He should have learned to see it coming by now. That’s what you get for trusting people. It was his own fault. He was being naïve. Again. As always. But he didn’t think Leo would... He should have seen it coming. It was a game of staying or not staying, of life and death. Survival of the fittest. You couldn’t afford being friends with people who didn’t look good in the newspapers. It was a war, and in a war there were casualties. Sacrifices. This time, it was his sacrifice. His friend.

It was a war. And he was just a piece in the game, being moved around to where he did the most gain, or the least damage.

Would he be able to recognise it next time? There would be a next time, there always was. But would he see it? Probably not. And probably not the next time after that, either. But evetually, there would be a time when he would call their bluff. Eventually, he’d grow up. But then it would be too late.


End file.
